The Observer, February 3, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 15
Harry Belafonte to speak at Case
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On Tuesday, world renowned activist, singer, and actor Harry Belafonte will speak at Strosacker Auditorium at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a question and answer period.
Belafonte is currently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, the second American to hold the title, and is the Chairman of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Fund.
Although students may remember him for his popular discography, Belafonte feels that his job as an artist demands more. "The role of the artist is to not only show life as it is, but life as it should be," Belafonte said.
This has led him to join numerous powerful social movements, such as becoming part of the Board of Directors of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, where he organized and united factions for the historically famous marches on Selma, Montgomery, and Washington during the 1960s.
Belafonte has received awards from a diverse group of institutions, such as the Kennedy Center, American Jewish Congress, Fight for Sight, The Albert Einstein Award from Yeshiva, the Boy Scouts of America, the Peace Corps, and recently the AARP.
Students at Case seem to be looking forward to the talk on Tuesday. "Going to Case affords you the opportunity to see real political and historical figures, for free, an opportunity you can have nowhere else," senior Brian Olsen said.
Other students however, seem recalcitrant. In reference to Belafonte's recent strongly worded attack on the policies of President Bush that he made while visiting with Argentinean President Hugo Chavez, some have voiced that guest speakers should be chosen responsibly.
Other students seemed intrigued by Belafonte's stance. "I knew almost nothing about his social movement work, but after I found out I thought he really sounded like a knowing, well-motivated person, so I'm going to hear him speak and get to know him better so I can decide for myself," senior Michael Ro said.
The event is gearing up to be popular, especially with non-students. "People keep calling me from their work, asking for tickets, sometimes 10 or more for their friends and colleagues. I got front page coverage in the Cleveland Call and Post," Eric Hammond, UPB officer said.
Hammond contacted Belafonte by letter and negotiated with him to speak at Case.
Student James Carlson speculated that Belafonte was coming to Case because Cleveland is an impoverished community. Hammond disagrees with that thought. "Belafonte wants to motivate youth, to become active participants in our society. At Howard University he said, 'if you want to make a difference, all you have to do is ask, and I will do whatever I can to help.' I wrote him a letter saying that I wanted to bring him to Case, although we could not pay his normal fee, and he agreed. He wants do to something to help our nation's youth. There are very few celebrities that would say something like this, and keep their word," Hammond said.
Although the event is free, interested students still need a ticket to get in, which they can obtain through the UPB office during its normal operational hours.
Interested parties can also contact Hammond directly at eric.hammond@case.edu or 216-338-5221 for tickets or more information.
